The Adamawa state authorities, in North-eastern Nigeria have urged operators of inland waterways commercial transportation in the State, to avoid overloading and bad weather periods.
The call became imperative as another mishap hit the state when a boat capsized on Monday afternoon, at Kwatan Mallam Adamu in Gurin village in the Fufore Local Government Area of the state, killing eleven people.
The incident occurred when farmers were scuttling to reach home to escape rainfall.
About 40 passengers including women and children crammed into the boat to get home before the day’s heavy downpour, Unfortunately, midway, strong wind and thunderstorm set in, causing the boat to capsize.
Two days earlier, 15 persons died in a boat accident in Rugange, Southern Yola, the State Capital.
The Adamawa Deputy Governor, Kaletapwa Farauta, earlier directed the State Emergency Management Agency to identify all crossing points in the state, so that live jackets would be provided for passengers.
Meanwhile, in an interview with Voice of Nigeria, the Executive Secretary of the Adamawa State Emergency Management Agency, Muhammad Suleiman said the State Government has taken some major actions to protect the people of the state most especially those living in the flood-prone areas along the River Benue bank in the event of flooding due to the raining season and the intermediate opening of Lagdo Dam in Cameroon.
He said the government has some simulations on evacuation by the Police marine, disaster unit of the civil Defense, Fire Service and Nigerian Red Cross Society on how to evacuate people.
According to him, the state had also identified higher grounds across all the twenty-one local government areas of the state where it can keep these people after evacuating them from the trap areas.
While revealing that the government had preposition some relief materials in case these people are being camped they will be assisted with added that the State had collaborated with all key stakeholders and donor partners where they have all spelt out what they can do when a flooding disaster, comes.
